chief of staff

noun phrase

1
: the ranking officer of a staff in the armed forces serving as principal adviser to a commander
2
: the ranking officer of the army or air force and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Examples of chief of staff in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Parker Hall Trending Mike Waltz Left His Venmo Friends List Public A WIRED review shows national security adviser Mike Waltz, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, and other top officials left sensitive information exposed via Venmo—until WIRED asked about it. — Nena Farrell, Wired News, 28 Mar. 2025 Among others on the chat were Vice President JD Vance, national security adviser Michael Waltz, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and Trump adviser Stephen Miller. — Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 28 Mar. 2025 Members on the list ranged from journalists to colleagues in the Trump administration, including White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and National Security Council staffer Walker Barrett. — Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Mar. 2025 Susie Wiles, President Trump's chief of staff, was listed on Waltz's Venmo friends list, but her account is now no longer searchable. — James Laporta, CBS News, 27 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for chief of staff

Word History

First Known Use

1862, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of chief of staff was in 1862

Rhymes for chief of staff

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Browse Nearby Words

chief of police
chief of staff
chief of state
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Cite this Entry

“Chief of staff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chief%20of%20staff. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.

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Kids Definition

chief of staff

1
: the ranking officer of a staff in the armed forces who advises a commander
2
: the ranking officer of the army or air force
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